Exercise Update

I did Yoga 4 days out of 7 last week, but trying to do it from pictures on a few websites I found it felt awkward and I wasnt convinced I was getting into the right positions to get the full benefit. It turns out that maybe I wasnt.

Today I decided to actually work from a video instead, and a quick search on Youtube found there was plenty to choose from. I eventually settled on a channel called 'Yoga With Adriene', and in particular a video which contains a 40 minute workout for beginners. I worked through the whole 40 minutes and plan to for the rest of the week before reassessing. Theres definitely a lot more movement and other things to consider when you are in your poses, and these are things that were missed out on the written tutorials I had found.

It would have made sense to go straight to the videos from the start to be able to see the poses in action as well as an explanation, but the reason I didnt do this was because I wanted to avoid the 'spirituality' aspect of Yoga. I really dont buy into it at all and I didnt want to have to sit through a video of it, but well, it appears this is unavoidable. I do feel a bit silly doing it though, and my cat does seem to love attacking me while I am trying a few poses too, which isnt very helpful.

In Other News

The hair removal I went through the other week didnt quite work as well as I thought it had. My skin was pretty clear for the first few days but once again my back, shoulder, upper arms and chest are covered in loads of angry, sore red spots. Im at a loss to what I can do, I cant keep going through months of this after every time I decide to dress up.

I have also signed up for Pinterest, and I can be found here. I think for now it will just be a selection of ideas and things ive found that I might want to try to help advance my female side, including exercise, makeup, clothes, and so on. I thought id give it a go, and see if it is of any use.

Getting Fit... Again...

I am incredibly unfit. My joints creak and ache, and if I sit still long enough, they get stiff and uncomfortable when I have to actually move again. I make noises when I have to stand up (definitely getting old) and I have no stamina at all. Also my ham strings are so tight I can not totally straighten my legs apart from when I am stood up. So, the effort to get fit starts again.

This week I have been trying yoga, and I have done it 3 out of the past 4 days so far. Im not doing it properly by going to classes or anything, oh no. Im doing it my way. I have found a few websites with some beginners poses and this week have been copying the images and instructions, and the routine im doing takes about 20-30 minutes a day. Of course this may mean im doing some of the poses incorrectly, and I certainly dont feel any benefit from a few of them, but with others I can definitely feel the strain.

Yoga looks a lot easier than it really is! You see pictures of people looking all calm and stretching themselves out into positions with ease. The reality for me is aching muscles, shaking, struggling, and in one particular position I go light headed because im upside down for so long! Im sure it will get easier with time but right now my fitness level is so low I cant wait to get out of a few positions.

Im still trying to figure out which poses are the best for me, I want flexibility back in my legs, back and shoulders, and I want to tone without adding muscle. And there also needs to be the consideration that I currently have all the flexibility and grace of a brick. And if there is anything I can do to reduce my waist and/or help give me a slightly more feminine shape, ill do it! Ive been cycling through a few poses but I just dont really know which ones will have the effect I want.

I think in the long run I might look at figuring out a routine which is part yoga, part pilates, and part aerobic exercise to help shape and tone my body, and then maybe after that look at starting to go jogging again. But I definitely need to take it one step at a time.